HC Deb 08 May 1984 vol 59 c378W
Mr. Freeson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider his Department analysing allocations to regional health authorities in relation to socio-economic groupings within defined census areas and districts and making allocations accordingly.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

There is no satisfactory measure of the usage of hospital and community health services by different socio-economic groupings, nor of their relative needs for health care expenditure. We will continue to allocate resources to regional health authorities on the basis of the method recommended by the resource allocation working party in 1976 which uses standardised mortality ratios as an indicator of the relative need for health care.